New federal funding will help local communities strengthen their approach to conservation, said environmental activists and policymakers, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $370 million in federal Farm Bill funding.

The city of Seattle is notable for a few trends, with Grunge rock, coffee and rain perhaps the most prominent among them. Today, however, it’s also seen in some circles as an early stage for a health care movement that is gaining traction elsewhere in the United States.

Sidus BioData World’s First Provider for MES in Cloud Annapolis-based Sidus BioData has been chosen by POMS Corp. as the platform provider for the world’s first cloud-hosted Manufacturing Execution System (MES). POMS MES users span 20 countries and hundreds of sites, making it one of the most widely-used MES solutions in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, consumer packaged [...]

Less than two months out of office, former Howard County Executive Ken Ulman is once again involved in regional economic development matters. The difference is that, this time, it’s as a private consultant.

Todd Olson is in the middle of his first year as executive director of the Columbia Festival of the Arts, a position he assumed after spending the last 11 years as the artistic director of American Stage Theatre Company in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Congressman C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger has announced his return to the House Appropriations Committee for the 114th Congress, where he will serve on the Defense and State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs subcommittees.

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), of North Laurel, will pay $359,253 to settle allegations of discrimination made by two African-American women who were employed at its facility.

In an effort to enhance safety for its customers and employees throughout its central Maryland service area, BGE presented $310,000 in grants to 48 nonprofit safety and emergency preparedness, response and recovery organizations through the company’s Emergency Response & Safety Grant program.

Winning the governorship in a blue state like Maryland was a difficult challenge for Republican Larry Hogan, but now comes the really, really hard part: governing with all those Democrats in the legislature.

Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman announced John Butler as the new chief of the county’s Department of Fire and Rescue Services on Jan. 20. Butler has served as acting chief since December 2014 and has been a member of the department since 1993. He is the first chief to have held every rank in the department.

Volunteering cultivates a happy, healthy and helpful community. That’s according to five Lime Kiln Middle School girls who just advanced to the second round of Verizon’s Innovative App Challenge for developing an app concept called VolunteerMe.

BWCC If the above headline caught your attention and you thought that the legislature and hilarity are connected, read on. The Maryland General Assembly convened on Jan. 14 for the 432nd time. One might think that, after 400 years, things might change, but they really haven’t and won’t. Alas, laws will be proposed, and it [...]

The new Cloud Computing Security Requirements Guide (SRG) was recently released by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to provide guidance and policy to commercial cloud service providers and mission partners in the Department of Defense (DoD) as they explore cloud computing options.

Howard County Housing Offers Assistance Via SDLP Howard County Housing has announced that funds are available to help families who qualify to buy homes in Howard County through the Department’s Settlement Downpayment Loan Program (SDLP). The department has committed $400,000 toward the deferred second mortgage loans, which can be used by pre-approved homebuyers for settlement [...]

Last year’s “Columbia Speaks. CA Listens.” event was a success, considering the feedback that Columbia Association (CA) received from attendees and from the opportunity that nearly 100 people had to exchange ideas among themselves.

Kittleman Announces New Staff Appointments Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman has announced appointments to round out county administration leadership with four veterans of prior public service. They include Holly Sun, budget director; Jahantab Siddiqui, deputy chief of staff; Deidre McCabe, director of communications; Sandy Schrader, director of intergovernmental affairs; and John Butler, chief of the [...]

Columbia Town Center Rotary to Host Valentine’s Gala The Columbia Town Center Rotary Club is gearing up for its next major fundraiser, the annual Valentine’s Gala, which will be held at the Sheraton Columbia Town Center Hotel on Feb. 7, from 6:30 until 11:30 p.m. This event offers the community an elegant evening of dining [...]

According to the newly released National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) Annual Report, women entrepreneurs are starting businesses at unprecedented rates — more than one in four U.S. companies is owned or led by a woman — but they are doing so with significantly less external capital than businesses that are not women-led.